bandicoot

Dear Ciara, It seems I have worked my magic too well. When I first moved into our new property, I spent the first month or so establishing a wildlife garden in the front yard. I planted a mix of natives and exotics under the rambutan trees in an effort to attract pollinators and beneficial birds. And it worked: a variety of butterflies and birds now frequent the garden, ranging from cuckooshrikes to sunbirds to Ulysses butterflies. What I didn’t intend on attracting, however, is our newest resident. Part of me is blessed to have come to know him, but another part of me secretly wants to launch the creature 70 metres into the sky. Don’t tell any wildlife enthusiasts I said that. I’m talking about the bandicoot. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, bandicoots are a group of about 20 species of small to medium-sized marsupials. They look somewhat like rodents but have a distinguishable nose that functions sort of like a proboscis. Up here, the main species that we see is the…